19 Mar 2015
We will be providing briefs of what comes out of the studios or independent project development on a daily basis and summarizing them in daily posts. These will be a quick way to attempt to keep everyone updated on movement of projects. This post is updated throughout the day. So check back for the latest updates.
NON-SPECIFIC (OR MULTIPLE ENTITES)
- Deadline Ratings: Empire Finale Ratings Rise Even More, Best New Series Results in 10 Years – Update
- THR Exclusive: Fifty Shades Producer on Salary Demands, Feuding with Harvey weinstein and Why He Won’t Support Hillary Clinton for President
- Variety: Academy Ready to Weigh Oscarcast, but Not Best-Picture Questions
- Variety: Russell Simmons Bringing Hip-Hop Musical The Scenario to New York Next Year
- Popular Atlanta-area personal trainer, Achilles Williams, while filming a YouTube workout video in the suburb of Buckhead was hit and killed by a train Tuesday, just two months after Greg Plitt, actor and fitness expert, was killed by a train while filming a sports drink commercial in Burbank. These two deaths, come on the heels of the Midnight Rider train death of Sarah Jones, where recently convictions and sentences were handed out to the director, assistant director and Executive Producer of the film. While the Midnight Rider trial revealed that the Producers did not have proper permission to be filming on the tracks, it is unknown if there was proper permission given in the Atlanta workout video incident. Williams was said to have been skipping rope near the tracks when he was sideswiped by a speeding freight train. The camera operator, who was also a friend of Williams’, was knocked ot the ground by the impact, but not seriously injured.
- THR International: Canada to Offer a La Carte Cable Pricing by 2016
- THR: The Heidi Chronicles: Theater Review
- Deadline: Elisabeth Moss ’60’s Petty Olson is ’80s Heidi; Disney’s Darker Hunchback; Paint Your Wagon: NYC Live
- THR: Imitation Game Writer, Graham Moore Snags Seven-Figure Book Deal – Sold his book The Last Days of Wonder to Random House.
- Deadline: Anthony Hopkins & Ian McKellen Talk Tyrannical Directors, State of TV & Finally Working Together on The Dresser
ABC/DISNEY/AMC FAMILY/LIFETIME
AMC NETWORKS/AMC ENTERTAINMENT/A&E
- The Walking Dead‘s Executive Producer Greg Nicotero and EP for it’s companion series, Galyntine, just inked a new overall deal with AMC. He will continue to Executive Produce both series while developing new projects for the network as part of the two-year pact. Nicotero got his start as a special effects makeup artist for more than 800 movies and TV projects and in 2010 was top in the business. He is a four-time prosthetic makeup/visual effects Emmy winner.
CBS/CW/CBSFILMS/SHOWTIME/Pop
- The Talk tops The View in Viewers and Women 18-49 – CBS’s The Talk out delivered The View in both viewers and women 18-49, according to Nielsen live plus same day ratings for the week ending March 15. The Talk beat The View in viewers (2.61m vs. 2.59m), women 18-49 (0.7/05 vs. 0.6/05) and tied among women 25-54 (0.9/06).
DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION (AOL, AMAZON, HULU, NETFLIX, YAHOO)
- Hulu just won exclusive subscription video-on-demand rights for the new Fox hit show, Empire, produced by Imagine Television in association with 20th Century Fox Television. It had been running the last five episodes for free, but will roll those up to the $7.99-per-month subscription Hulu Plus service. “‘Empire’s’ storylines and music continue to dominate the popular culture conversation each week,” said Craig Erwich, Senior Vice President and Head of Content for Hulu. “Since its premiere, the series has remained one of the top shows on Hulu, and we are ecstatic to be the exclusive streaming home to the biggest show of the year.”
- Deadline Review: Bloodline Review: Netflix Family Drama Runs Deep, Says Dominic Patten
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS (DISCOVERY CHANNEL)/TLC
DREAMWORKS /DREAMWORKS ANIMATION
FOX ENTERTAINMENT GROUP/FOX SEARCHLIGHT/NEW REGENCY
LIONSGATE
MGM, ORION, UNITED ARTISTS
- MGM Holdings Chairman and CEO Gary Barber reported a net income of $156Mil for calendar year 2014, “its highest annual profits in its modern history for the second consecutive year.” Showing an net income increase of $33Mil or 27% over 2013 results, projects like The Hobbit franchise, Robocop, 22 Jump Street and popular television shows like Viking snad Teen Wolf have contributed to the success. Q4 resulted in a net income of $42Mil, up $29 Mil from the same quarter in 2013. iwth an operating cash flow of $373 Mil and a total revenue of $1.4 Mil for 2014, it was the first time that the 55% acquisition of United Artists Media Group (a partnership with Mark Burnett and Roma Downey) were included in the results, recording $14 Mil of net income from that partnership which had a total net income of $25.5 Mil. Stock, trade on private market rose $2.50 to a $74 per share on the earnings news. No plans for an IP or other major investments were announced.
- Deadline Exclusive: Ballerina Memoir Taking Flight En Pointe for MGM, Alloy
NBC/UNIVERSAL STUDIOS/USA NETWORK/COMCAST/E!/SyFy
- Deadline Exclusive: Chrononauts Time-Travel Comic Book Snapped up by Universal, Chris Morgan Producing
- THR Exclusive: Universal Music Settling Big Class Action Lawsuit Over Digital Royalties – A deal would mean that all record majors have resolved claims of cheating artists by treating iTunes downloads as “sales” rather than “licenses.”
SCRIPPS NETWORK
SONY/TRISTAR/COLUMBIA
- THR Exclusive: Sony Picking Up Romeo & Juliet Retelling Verona
- THR Exclusive: TriStar Nabs Hot WWII Novel The Nightingale
TIME WARNER/WARNER BROS./HBO/ CNN/TURNER/TNT/TBS/NEWLINE
VIACOM/COMEDY CENTRAL/PARAMOUNT/MTV
INDIE
- THR: As Huayi Brothers Eye STX, Questions Surround the Proposed Marriage
- Deadline Exclusive: John Madden in Talks ot Direct Gun-Control Drama Ms. Sloane
- Variety Exclusive: Joseph Gordon-Levitt Starring in Fraggle Rock Movie
- Deadline Preview: Al Pacino Parties On As Aging Rocker In Danny Collins: Specialty Preview
- Backed by Annapurna Pictures and Vice Films, director Ana Lily Amirpour has just cast Keanu Reeves(The Dream), Jim Carrey (Hermit), Jason Momoa (Miami Man), Diego Luna (Jimmy) and Suki Waterhouse (Arlen) in The Bad Batch, which will be selling at the Cannes Film Festival. The Bad Batch is a dystopian love story set in Texas wasteland. Annapurna’s Megan Ellison, along with Vice Films’ Danny Gabai and Sina Sayyah will produce the film, while Samatha Scher will provide executive oversight on the day-to-day development and production of the project. Executive producing the film are Shane Smith and Eddy Moretti, both for Vice Films. Production begins in April in the Los Angeles area.